The spread of new coronavirus in more countries and regions around the world has brought great impact on the work and life of many people. According to foreign media reports, sharing economy employees, such as car Hailing drivers, couriers and takers, bear the brunt of the epidemic, because most of them do not have the health benefits of regular workers.

According to foreign media reports, many U.S. sharing economy employees without complete protection measures are preparing for the spread of the new coronavirus.

At the moment, drivers have been scrubbing their cars "inch by inch" between rides in the parking lot of the local airport, said Edan Alva, a car Hailing driver. Alva drives LYFT full time in the Gulf.

Despite the risk of infection, LYFT has yet to communicate with drivers about the new coronavirus, Alva said. "If we suspect any signs of viral infection, what should we do? They have no support, no advice, no guidance," Alva said He added that he sprayed his car with Lysol twice a day.

Alexandra Ramana, a spokeswoman for LYFT, said there was no sign that LYFT's drivers faced unique risks and the company was monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, Uber sent an in app message to U.S. drivers on Friday, including guidelines on how to protect yourself and others, including standard advice from health officials, such as staying at home when you are ill and washing your hands often.

Uber also urged drivers to clean and disinfect surfaces that are in constant contact with vehicles. Instacart, an online shopping company, sent similar health advice messages to couriers on Saturday morning.

The global spread of the new coronavirus has prompted some companies to ask their employees to stop traveling or start working remotely, compared with tens of thousands of sharing economy outsourcing workers like Alva.

"Especially in the small business economy, there are low-income independent contractors everywhere who don't have good health insurance," said Alex Rosenblat, research director of data and society, a non-profit organization. "They don't get better protection than anyone else, they may have higher risks.”

1. Lack of health protection

Companies using apps such as Uber, LYFT, instacart, and doordash, a food and beverage delivery company, classify employees who deliver meals or transport passengers as independent contractors. This classification saves companies the cost of health insurance and other benefits. At present, independent contractors have no right to form trade unions.

But with the emergence of new coronavirus cases, contractors found that they had little health protection, but the potential risk of contact with infected people was higher.

According to reports, concerns about the new coronavirus prompted some American drivers to bypass some high-risk airports (for example, the epidemic area has more passengers), at the same time, drivers are worried about losing their income if they stop driving or cancel orders.

If some workers go to work with the disease (because they can't afford to stay at home), the disease may spread faster. Not just outsourced workers, according to the Bureau of labor statistics, in 2017, only 46% of service personnel enjoyed sick leave benefits, compared with 93% of employees in the management, business and financial sectors.

Rosenblatt said the health risks of the new coronavirus could lead to policy changes because the company would consider responsibility if drivers or passengers were infected. For example, drivers did not have the tools to report potential infected passengers, she said, and it was unclear whether algorithms to match drivers and passengers took health risks into account.

Although LYFT said its drivers do not have a unique risk of infection, "under the guidance of the Centers for disease control, we have established an internal task force to ensure that we are ready to take action when needed," a spokesman for LYFT said.

Uber says it has been committed to ensuring the safety of everyone who uses its platform. Andrew hasbun, Uber's head of security communications, said in a statement: "we have set up a global team of Uber's operations, security and safety executives to respond in every market we operate globally, as needed, under the guidance of a public health expert consultant. We are in close contact with local public health organizations and will continue to follow their recommendations. "

An instacart spokesman said in a statement that the company was working with local and federal agencies to monitor the situation. "We adhere to the advice of public health officials to ensure that we operate safely with minimal service disruption, while taking appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of our teams, customers and customers," the spokesman said

Dordash did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

2. Identity challenge

The classification of independent contractors is challenged by a new law in California. This week, a judge in San Diego issued the first court decision under California's new AB5 law, ruling that instacart is likely to mistakenly classify food couriers as contractors, who should have been full-time regular workers.

On Saturday, a labor group urged technology companies to include contractors and contractors in their plans to deal with the new coronavirus. They also require the company to provide protective equipment, medical insurance, sick leave, and ensure that employees who take sick leave will not be discriminated against when they return to work.

"Cafeteria employees, janitors, security personnel, bus drivers, and people working in small businesses interact with a large number of people in the course of their work," the group said in a twitter statement. "It is essential that companies work with workers and unions to reduce risk and protect public health. "

3. Reject some orders

Vanessa Bain, a resident of Monroe Park, Calif., who works as an outsourcer for running errand company instacart, said concerns about the new crown virus were part of a larger topic (why it's harmful to classify employees as outsourcers). Without health insurance, it could be a huge health risk for outsourcers who run into hundreds of people on a daily basis, she said.

"When people get sick, we send goods all the way to their homes," said Bain, who also launched a grassroots campaign to win more rights for instacart employees.

Bain is currently covered by the local medical insurance company, a low-cost state health insurance with limited coverage. As a result, Bain no longer accepts orders for supplies such as tissue paper and sudafi (suspected buyer is ill). "I can't get sick," she said.

LYFT's drivers Alva and Carlos Ramos, who are also labor organizers, say the spread of the new coronavirus is a real example of why drivers need protection from sick leave, health insurance, disability, death benefits and minimum wages.

"Right now, it's a balancing act of putting yourself at risk and keeping yourself at work," Ramos said

Alva said he didn't see a doctor when he had the flu in January, because each visit costs $100 unless he reaches his maximum deductible, which is hard to earn.

Prior to that, Alva lost his 10-year job as a global security operations contractor for PayPal, which involved analyzing company risks such as extreme weather patterns, political instability and fraud.

To make ends meet, Alva had to work when he was ill. He suspects that other drivers are in the same situation. "If we are infected with the virus, other people may be infected from us because we are unlikely to see a doctor." He said.

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